England’s ageing population is one of the most significant - and often under-planned for - pressures facing the housing market. Yet the planning system has historically struggled to deliver specialist housing for older people at the pace and scale required.

The Government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the consultation for which closed on 10 March, signals a stronger national intention to address that gap. Representing one of the most substantial rewrites of the Framework since its introduction in 2012, the draft NPPF places greater emphasis on proactively planning for later living accommodation and improving both the supply and quality of housing for older people.

While the current NPPF already encourages authorities to assess the need for housing for different groups - including older people - the proposed revisions go further. They introduce a series of new and strengthened policies aimed at embedding the needs of an ageing population more firmly within plan-making and decision-taking.

Four key policies within the draft NPPF relate directly to housing for older people. Three focus on expectations during plan-making, while a fourth introduces a specific decision-making policy to guide the determination of planning applications.